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Departing Corporate America To Do Something That Moves You

Way back when before buzz words like video, social influencers, giving back, community and mindfulness were a “thing”, Michaela Guzy served as the VP/Global Travel and Strategic Development at American Express Publishing.

BUT in 2012, uninspired by the lack of in depth content that inspired her to get out and explore and the fact that she couldn’t go back to a trusted advertising partner one more time with an ad buy disguised as an integrated package, Michaela departed Corporate America. She founded OhThePeopleYouMeet (OTPYM), an editorial content site for travelers, foodies and philanthropists seeking authentic local connection everywhere they journey. Just days later, she boarded a flight headed to sub-saharan Africa by herself for three and a half months to document and share stories of interesting people doing inspiring things.

With Michaela at the helm, OTPYM has grown into a collaborative collective of over 90 contributors across the globe, and even powers the content for sites like SustainableTravel.About.com. She is the Executive Producer, Director, Lead Writer and On-Air Talent for two original editorial video series, Michaela’s Map and OhThePeopleYouMeet (an extended interview series), which can also be found on other sites ranging from Yahoo to The Daily Meal.

This fearless, self-made, female entrepreneur is a travel industry, publishing and new media expert with a social good agenda. In addition to setting OTPYM’s editorial strategy she runs OTPYM’s production arm and is often asked to appear as an industry expert from a three part talking head series for BravoTV’s Tour Group, curating conversations, moderating panels, conducting interactive workshops and giving inspiring keynote presentations for awesome industry partners such as International Luxury Travel Market, WeWork and Soho House’s IMPACT series.

Love is a Human Right

On October 18, 2016, together1heart, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to end human slavery in Southeast Asia, in collaboration with artist Magda Love, hosted a gallery opening at The Beekman Gallery in New York City featuring artwork inspired by Magda’s recent trip to Cambodia.

Following the gala opening, OhThePeopleYouMeet’s Founder, Michaela Guzy moderated an empowering conversation on the topic of ending human slavery. In addition to Magda, other panelists included, together1heart’s President, AnnaLynne McCord who shared her personal experience with abuse and together1heart’s Founder with Somaly Mam. The discussion covered the work they’re doing to ensure that the trafficking victims they are working with have a safe, loving environment to recover, learn and reintegrate into society with sustainable life skills.

This clip is one way the OTPYM production team memorialized the powerful event in an effort to bring awareness to a topic oppressing so many across the globe. Ultimately we hope it inspires you to have compassion for those affected by slavery and to take action by helping victims become empowered individuals through sustainable organizations. For more information on how you can help, check out: http://www.together1heart.org/.

Storytelling that Resonates with the Millennial Mindset

No matter the platform we are communicating on, your storytelling must be authentic if you want to connect with consumers who share the Millennial Mindset. This course will share tips and examples of great story telling through video that creates engagement with millennials. I’ll share real life examples of how I’ve applied what I learned in Corporate America to start my own content company, OhThePeopleYouMeet (OTPYM).

Did you know that there were nearly 1.2 billion international travelers in 2015, up from 674 million in 2000? The latest figure represents nearly one out of seven people in the world and is expected to grow to 1.8 billion people by 2030.The United Nations has designated 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

"This rapid increase of tourists is exactly why sustainable tourism needs attention now, said Taleb Rifai, the secretary general of the World Tourism Organization, the United Nations agency overseeing the initiative. “The impact of tourism on the world can be negative or positive, and our goal is to see to it that the travel industry is a force for good,” he said."

Michaela explores the nexus of travelers seeking transformation through immersive experiences, local connection and wellness and the traveler's responsibility to make sustainable decisions. She showcases forward thinking companies that are sustainably developing and operating across the globe.

The Great Rebranding of an Industry: The New Luxury Travel

From the Macro to the Micro

As it moves further into the new millennia, the luxury travel industry finds itself facing major changes. The days of every average Joe calling up their travel advisor each time they need to book a flight have come and gone, with travelers becoming smarter, more demanding, and more empowered. Vacationers have become adventurers. This does not mean the end of travel advisors as we know them, rather the start of their new era. To stay relevant in this ever-changing industry, sometimes all it takes is a facelift and a new outlook.

The Millennial Mindset

TRAVEL AS A LIFESTYLE, TRANSFORMATION & COMMUNITY

You don’t have to be broke and 22 to think like a millennial. Aided by companies such as AirBnB, the modern journey seekers embrace experience-based trips and mindful living over classic tourist watering holes— they want to live and enjoy places “like a local”. The millennial mindset is clear: awareness over belongings, adventure over knickknacks. And their purchase patterns back this mindset up. According to Huffington Post, 72% of millennials choose to spend their money on experiences over material objects. Millennials prioritize a simpler, more unique life, often described as “rich in experiences”. Some key elements seem to connect millennials when it comes to travel. Their involvement-based lifestyle breaks down into individuality, freedom, genuine connection, and being of service. The millennial attraction to authenticity extends beyond eating locally and getting a good tan: they seek personal and external transformation through voluntourism, cultural sensitivity, and a deeper understanding of the world around them.

Transformative Travel in Africa

OhThePeopleYouMeet’s Founder, Michaela Guzy was asked to MC the Opening Forum for ILTM Africa and moderate the panel on Transformative Travel. Watch to understand how responsible companies and suppliers are creating authentic sustainable transformative African experiences for their travelers. Organizations like &Beyond, African Bush Camps, Uthando and The Amy Biehl Foundation are working within their local communities to connect wildlife and community in order to preserve Africa for future generations.

An Inspiring Entrepreneur: Michaela Guzy, a former publishing exec, left her career behind to begin a journey that has since changed her life and touched others. She is the founder of OhThePeopleYouMeet (OTPYM), a popular video series and content site for travelers, foodies and philanthropists seeking authentic local connections when traveling.

A Video Content Creator Expert: At OTPYM, Michaela is the executive producer, director, lead writer and on-air talent, overseeing the production of two original video series, Michaela's Map and OhThePeopleYouMeet. The two series speak to the wanderlust in us all and ignites a passion for global connections and sustainable and immersive travel, which are shaping the tourism industry worldwide now more than ever. The OTPYM movement has more than 100 global contributors to date. Michaela is also an Adjunct Professor at NYU School of Professional Studies where she is teaching her first course called, "Travel Storytelling: Creating Video Content" in 2018. She regularly appears on morning news shows across the country to discuss sustainable and immersive travel experiences around the world.

A Trusted Authority on Travel: Michaela speaks about Sustainable and Immersive Travel at industry conferences, such as International Luxury Travel Market, Africa Travel Association, Adventure Travel Trade Association and Social Media Week. She curates conversations on topics ranging from new media, storytelling, human connection, social impact, female entrepreneurship and The Millennial Mindset for WeWork, Soho House's IMPACT Series and has guest taught at NYU's Tisch School of Hospitality. Michaela is an advocate for The Blue Movement—connecting people to our oceans, Human Rights and Wildlife Conservation and an advocate against Human Trafficking and Wildlife Poaching. In November 2016, Michaela was selected by WeWork as one of their 40 most promising members in NYC to participate in Goldman Sachs & Babson's 10,000 Small Businesses.

Michaela contributes to and has been featured in many media outlets, such as BRAVO, Yahoo, Forbes, National Geographic Traveler, The Daily Meal, Travel SavvyTV, TripSavvy (formerly About.com), Virtuoso Life, Recommend, CTV/AP World News and Conde Nast Traveller. Michaela consults with Fortune 500 companies, including Chase, Jaguar, Preferred Hotel Group and The Robb Report.

Michaela is also proud to be the first advisor to Travel+Social Good, the Corporate Vice Chair of the Junior Committee for The New York Center for Children, serving on the Host Committee for together1heart. In 2016 she completed her third marathon on behalf of reachwithin.